Friday, March 8, 2013

A northwestern Montana man shot and killed the host of the Sportsman Channel show "A Rifleman's Journal" in an apparent jealous rage while the TV personality was visiting the shooter's wife, police said Friday.

Wayne Bengston, 41, then beat his wife, took his 2-year-old son to a relative's house and drove to his home about 25 miles away in West Glacier, where he killed himself, Whitefish Police Chief Bill Dialsaid.

Police identified the shooting victim as Gregory G. Rodriguez, 43, of Sugar Land, Texas. Bengston's wife told police that Rodriguez was in town on business and visiting her at her mother's house in Whitefish when her husband showed up Thursday at about 10:30 p.m.

Rodriguez and the woman, who works for a firearms manufacturer in the Flathead Valley, met at a trade show and struck up a casual relationship that police do not believe was romantic, Dial said.

She and Rodriguez were sitting at the kitchen table, talking over a glass of wine, when Bengston entered the house and shot Rodriguez, Dial said.

He then beat his wife on the face and head, most likely with the pistol, he said. She was treated at a hospital and released.

"I think it was a jealous husband, but this is all conjecture," Dial said.

For hours throughout the course of Wednesday, Rand Paul created a political earthquake. In the presidential sweepstakes, which even a political writer really doesn't want to think about for another three years, Paul Ryan and Marco Rubio now have serious competition in Rand Paul. In the meantime, Senator Paul has made the strongest case yet, and perhaps one of the strongest cases possible, for why voters must not give Barack Obama greater power in 2014.

A senator can make an occasional impact with a filibuster, but if Democrats take control of the House of Representatives in 2014, the damage done not just to our economy but to the very fabric of our republic may be impossible to repair. It is a message that was not stated on Wednesday, but was nonetheless absolutely clear.

Over the course of Wednesday, watching Senators Rand, Lee, and Cruz, I was left wondering whether I had witnessed an interesting but fleeting moment in history, or a profile in courage that will be remembered as a catalyst for the transformation of the Republican Party.

Nearly 11 hours into the filibuster, Senator Cruz said to Rand Paul “The heart of what you’re standing for is liberty.”

Scientific data used to create the 'hockey stick' graph (top) were 'fudged' to create the false illusion of global warming increasing - the bottom graph shows actual European climate change over the past 1,000 years

New national science standards that make the teaching of global warming part of the public school curriculum are slated to be released this month, potentially ending an era in which climate skepticism has been allowed to seep into the nation's classrooms.

The Next Generation Science Standards were developed by the National Research Council, the National Science Teachers Association, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the nonprofit Achieve and more than two dozen states. The latest draft recommends that educators teach the evidence for man-made climate change starting as early as elementary school and incorporate it into all science classes, ranging from earth science to chemistry. By eighth grade, students should understand that "human activities, such as the release of greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels, are major factors in the current rise in Earth’s mean surface temperature (global warming)," the standards say.

The 26 states that helped write the standards are expected to adopt them. Another 15 or so have indicated they may accept them—meaning climate change instruction could make its way into classrooms in 40-plus states.

He had few friends with his sarcasm and sharp tongue. Fellow officers said he offended many and conciliated few. But what really got him assigned to a command in North Carolina was that he dared to criticize General Robert E. Lee, the savior of The South.General Daniel Harvey Hill was a colorful character, a noted pessimist, brother-in-law to Stonewall Jackson and the man who led Confederate forces in the Siege of Washington 150 years ago. Next week, Civil War re-enactor Doug Batson will bring the historic figure to life in a living history performance at the North Carolina Estuarium.Batson, a Defense Department geographer and Desert Storm veteran, will take on the role of a man who, Batson said, had plenty of tactical prowess but made no friends with his critical nature.“Who didn’t he criticize? He criticized Lee, the Confederate Congress, President Jefferson Davis, the War Department, the Ordinance Department,” Batson said. “He said they couldn’t win the war.”As history has proven, Hill also happened to be right.On March 12 at 7 p.m., Batson, along with his wife Terri playing the role of Hill’s wife Isabella, will bring the Hills’ story to Washington from their home in Northern Virginia, literally following the general’s footsteps through North Carolina after he took the command a century and a half ago. Prior to their Washington performance, the Batsons will participate in “The Keepers of the Town,” a weekend-long commemoration of the Union occupation of New Bern, including re-enactments and a ball, to be held at Tryon Palace. Following their Washington performance, they will travel to Goldsboro where Hill was headquartered during his command.While Batson has been “a passive participant” in Civil War history for 30 years — he has higher degrees in history and education — he said it was the sesquicentennial anniversary of the Civil War that spurred him to bring Hill’s character to life. Of course, since Hill wasn’t a particularly popular Confederate figure, no one had taken up his character on the re-enactment scene, Batson said.“He was in the doghouse all the time,” Batson laughed.The Estuarium program marks the first of sesquicentennial events in Washington, according to Lynn Lewis, Washington Tourism and Development Authority’s director. Officials have set aside the weekend of April 12-14 to commemorate the Siege of Washington with a variety of events: Civil War re-enactors, music, lectures and walking tours, with most taking place at Festival Park and the Estuarium.“(Batson’s performance) is a great lead-in to doing this weekend event,” Lewis said.For more information on General D.H. Hill, visit Batson’s website atwww.dhhill.org to listen to a recent podcast of his interview on “Civil War Talk Radio,” a weekly, hour-long Internet talk show hosted by Gerry Prokopowicz, acting history chair at East Carolina University.Lewis said to check in with the TDA’s website — www.littlewashingtonnc.com — for updates on sesquicentennial events.The North Carolina Estuarium will charge a $2 fee for Batson’s program.

By the spring of 1862, a year into the American Civil War, Major General Ulysses S. Grant had pushed deep into Confederate territory along the Tennessee River. In early April, he was camped at Pittsburg Landing, near Shiloh, Tennessee, waiting for Maj. Gen. Don Carlos Buell’s army to meet up with him.

On the morning of April 6, Confederate troops based out of nearby Corinth, Mississippi, launched a surprise offensive against Grant’s troops, hoping to defeat them before the second army arrived. Grant’s men, augmented by the first arrivals from the Ohio, managed to hold some ground, though, and establish a battle line anchored with artillery. Fighting continued until after dark, and by the next morning, the full force of the Ohio had arrived and the Union outnumbered the Confederates by more than 10,000.

The Union troops began forcing the Confederates back, and while a counterattack stopped their advance it did not break their line. Eventually, the Southern commanders realized they could not win and fell back to Corinth until another offensive in August (for a more detailed explanation of the battle, see this animated version.

All told, the fighting at the Battle of Shiloh left more than 16,000 soldiers wounded and more 3,000 dead, and neither federal or Confederate medics were prepared for the carnage.

The bullet and bayonet wounds were bad enough on their own, but soldiers of the era were also prone to infections. Wounds contaminated by shrapnel or dirt became warm, moist refuges for bacteria, which could feast on a buffet of damaged tissue. After months marching and eating field rations on the battlefront, many soldiers’ immune systems were weakened and couldn't fight off infection on their own. Even the army doctors couldn't do much; microorganisms weren't well understood and the germ theory of disease and antibiotics were still a few years away. Many soldiers died from infections that modern medicine would be able to nip in the bud.

A Bright Spot

Some of the Shiloh soldiers sat in the mud for two rainy days and nights waiting for the medics to get around to them. As dusk fell the first night, some of them noticed something very strange: their wounds were glowing, casting a faint light into the darkness of the battlefield. Even stranger, when the troops were eventually moved to field hospitals, those whose wounds glowed had a better survival rate and had their wounds heal more quickly and cleanly than their un-illuminated brothers-in-arms. The seemingly protective effect of the mysterious light earned it the nickname “Angel’s Glow.”

In 2001, almost one hundred and forty years after the battle, seventeen-year-old Bill Martin was visiting the Shiloh battlefield with his family. When he heard about the glowing wounds, he asked his mom - a microbiologist at the USDA Agricultural Research Service who had studied luminescent bacteria that lived in soil - about it.

“So you know, he comes home and, 'Mom, you're working with a glowing bacteria. Could that have caused the glowing wounds?’” Martin told Science Netlinks. “And so, being a scientist, of course I said, ‘Well, you can do an experiment to find out.’”

And that’s just what Bill did.

He and his friend, Jon Curtis, did some research on both the bacteria and the conditions during the Battle of Shiloh. They learned that Photorhabdus luminescens, the bacteria that Bill’s mom studied and the one he thought might have something to do with the glowing wounds, live in the guts of parasitic worms called nematodes, and the two share a strange lifecycle. Nematodes hunt down insect larvae in the soil or on plant surfaces, burrow into their bodies, and take up residence in their blood vessels. There, they puke up the P. luminescens bacteria living inside them. Upon their release, the bacteria, which are bio luminescent and glow a soft blue, begin producing a number of chemicals that kill the insect host and suppress and kill all the other microorganisms already inside it. This leaves P. luminescens and their nematode partner to feed, grow and multiply without interruptions.

As the worms and the bacteria eat and eat and the insect corpse is more or less hollowed out, the nematode eats the bacteria. This isn't a double cross, but part of the move to greener pastures. The bacteria re-colonize the nematode’s guts so they can hitch a ride as it bursts forth from the corpse in search of a new host.

The next meal shouldn't be hard to find either, since P. luminescens already sent them an invitation to the party. Just before they got got back in their nematode taxi, P. luminescens were at critical mass in the insect corpse, and scientists think that that many glowing bacteria attract other insects to the body and make the nematode’s transition to a new host much easier.

A Good Light

Looking at historical records of the battle, Bill and Jon figured out that the weather and soil conditions were right for both P. luminescens and their nematode partners. Their lab experiments with the bacteria, however, showed that they couldn't live at human body temperature, making the soldiers’ wounds an inhospitable environment. Then they realized what some country music fans already knew: Tennessee in the spring is green and cool. Nighttime temperatures in early April would have been low enough for the soldiers who were out there in the rain for two days to get hypothermia, lowering their body temperature and giving P. luminescens a good home.

Based on the evidence for P. luminescens’s presence at Shiloh and the reports of the strange glow, the boys concluded that the bacteria, along with the nematodes, got into the soldiers’ wounds from the soil. This not only turned their wounds into night lights, but may have saved their lives. The chemical cocktail that P. luminescens uses to clear out its competition probably helped kill off other pathogens that might have infected the soldiers’ wounds. Since neither P. luminescens nor its associated nematode species are very infectious to humans, they would have soon been cleaned out by the immune system themselves (which is not to say you should be self-medicating with bacteria; P. luminescens infections can occur, and can result in some nasty ulcers). The soldiers shouldn't have been thanking the angels so much as the microorganisms.

Drafted with assistance from GRNC and sponsored by Sen. Bill Cook (R-Beaufort, Camden, Currituck, Dare, Gates, Hyde, Pasquotank, Perquimans, GRNC ****), SB 190 would allow concealed handgun permit-holders to keep firearms in locked motor vehicles on educational properties, further permitting their removal for defensive purposes. Although the bill is not the full campus carry bill which GRNC is shepherding (and which will soon be introduced), SB 190 would apply to all concealed handgun permit-holders, unlike other bills introduced to date. Beyond providing limited means for self-defense, it would prevent thousands of parents, taking children to school, from becoming accidental felons.

HB 246: ‘The Gun Rights Amendment’

First, let us note that the main mover behind the bill, Rep. Larry Pittman (R-Cabarrus, GRNC ****), is arguably the greatest patriot in the General Assembly. He is already being attacked for his patriotism, and we need to defend him.

HR 246 is admittedly a “hail Mary” pass. If passed, however, it would be the most comprehensive expansion of gun rights in North Carolina history. In addition to removing language from Section 30 of the North Carolina Constitution which says, “Nothing herein shall justify the practice of carrying concealed weapons, or prevent the General Assembly from enacting penal statutes against that practice”, it would expand concealed carry into restaurants, court buildings, assemblies for which admission is charged, and elsewhere.

HR 63: ‘Support Right to Bear Arms’

Sponsored by Rep. Michael Speciale (R-Beaufort, Craven, Pamlico, GRNC ****), HR 63 simply reaffirms the Second Amendment and North Carolina Constitution language on the individual right to keep and bear arms, notes that the Obama administration is proposing restrictions on that right, notes that gun control has not been found in studies to be effective, and passes on that purely symbolic reaffirmation to the North Carolina congressional delegation.

GRNC normally doesn’t expend resources on non-binding resolutions and, frankly, considered this so non-controversial we didn’t even issue an alert prior to its hearing in the House Rules Committee. But that was before North Carolinians “Against Gun Violence” rallied its radicals against the resolution, whining:

“Despite the rhetoric about ‘individual rights’ and gun laws being unconstitutional, five years of legal decisions show, legislators and activists should feel confident that a variety of smart laws are constitutional, desperately needed, and desired by the majority of North Carolinians!”

I have the pleasure of working with 17-24 year old Americans. One day I asked a 21 year old .gov high school grad how to spell his middle name of Steven (many forms of Steven). His reply "I don't know how to spell it. I never have to use it".

Since then I periodically ask random young adults to spell for me their middle names. Many have to think hard about spelling it and often I have those who simply cannot spell their own middle name.

Government schools and the marxist bandits who teach in them are one of the biggest reasons behind the fall of the Republic.

Try it sometime....ask an American product of .gov schools how to spell his/her name. You'll be able to tack one more reason to your "Why I Despise .Gov Employees" list.

An undercover inspector carrying a fake bomb was cleared to board a commercial flight at Newark Liberty International Airport even though he passed through two screenings and a pat-down by Transportation Security Administration personnel, The New York Post reported Friday.

The inspector was part of a TSA’s special operation that sent a four-person “Red Team” through the airport's terminal B on Feb. 25 posing as ticketed passengers. Terminal B handles American Airlines, JetBlue, and Delta flights.

According to the Post, the undercover inspector was carrying a fake improvised explosive device (IED) in his pants and managed to get through a magnetometer and physical screening without it being discovered.

The mock IED’s makeup wasn’t reported, but the Post noted that it was small enough to be stashed away in pants and, if real, powerful enough to blow a hole in a jet's fuselage.

Sen. Marco Rubio says he will oppose a six-month government spending measure known as the continuing resolution unless it contains language that essentially repeals Obamacare by removing funding for the healthcare reform law.

Speaking on the nationally syndicated Hugh Hewitt radio program, the Florida Republican said he supports an amendment to the spending measure offered by fellow Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas that would defund the healthcare reform law passed in 2010 and upheld by the Supreme Court last year.

“If . . . we can pass [the amendment] onto a bill, I will vote for a continuing resolution,” he said. “Even if it’s temporary, because it does something permanent, and that is defund this healthcare bill, this Obamacare bill, that is going to be an absolute disaster for the American economy.”

CALL TO ACTION: These three senators will decide the fate of the worst gun control measures in CO history TOMORROW. PLEASE call them, email them, message them on Facebook, and write on their FB walls TODAY. Be polite, precise, and to the point… If you already did it, even yesterday, do it again. TODAY is our last chance to make sure our voices are heard by these senators!Senator Angela Giron – 303-866-4878

A nonprofit organization in North Carolina funded by progressive mega-donor George Soros has been linked to a partisan strategy memo aimed at derailing the state Republican leadership’s legislative agenda, throwing light on the shadowy network of liberal groups that operate in the state.

The memo surfaced as part of a set of leaked documents that also contained liberal talking points and polling data. Stephanie Bass, the communications director for the liberal nonprofit group Blueprint NC, allegedly emailed out the documents.

Bass called the documents “CONFIDENTIAL” in her email and asked recipients to share them “with your boards and appropriate staff but not the whole world.”

General Jubal Early notes in his “Narrative of the War Between the States”: “On the 24th of May [1861], the day after the election in Virginia ratifying the ordinance of secession, the Federal troops….crossed over from Washington into Virginia, the bands playing and the soldiers singing “John Brown’s soul goes marching on”; and John Brown’s mission was, subsequently, but too well carried out in Virginia and all the Southern States under the inspiration of that anthem.” It then follows that slavery agitation helped cause the act of political secession, and that act of secession caused Northern invasion and war.

Bernhard Thuersam, Chairman North Carolina War Between the States Sesquicentennial Commission www.ncwbts150.com"The Official Website of the North Carolina WBTS Sesquicentennial"

An Exemplar for Generations to Come:

“[It] was believed by many persons that a large party at the North would oppose the prosecution of a war of invasion. It will be remembered by those at all conversant with the history of events at that time, how strong had been the party opposed to secession in the Convention then in session at Richmond (at least two-thirds of its members having been elected as Union men), and what strenuous efforts towards peace and compromise had been made by the Border States Commissioners.

The call upon Virginia, by President Lincoln, for her quota of troops to aid in subjugating the South, had settled the question, however, in the Convention; and in a few hours after Governor Letcher’s reply to that call, Virginia had virtually cast her lot with the Gulf States, although two weeks elapsed before she became a member of the Confederacy.

I had visited, some months previous to the secession of the State, many of the little villages in New England, where I saw that the population were in terrible earnest. “Wide awake,” and other secret societies were organized; and inflammatory harangues aroused the populace. The favorite theme of the orators was the “martyrdom” of John Brown; the piratical and murderous raid of that fanatic into the State of Virginia being exalted into a praiseworthy act of heroism.

When I returned to Virginia and contrasted the apparent apathy and want of preparation there with the state of affairs at the North, I trembled for the result. But when the State severed her relations with the Union, the Governor acted with great vigor and ability, and the most was made of the limited resources at his command. Volunteers responded with alacrity to the call to defend the State from invasion; and none responded more readily, or served more bravely, than those who had opposed secession in the Convention.

It seems invidious to cite particular examples; but the “noblest Trojan of them all” will point a moral, and serve as an exemplar for generations to come. Wise in council, eloquent in debate, bravest and coolest among the brave in battle, and faithful to his convictions in adversity, he still lives to denounce falsehood and wrong. Truly the old hero, in all he says and does, “gives the world assurance of a man.” I allude to General J.A. Early.”

For much of the last four decades, the Alabama Education Association has risen to become one of the most powerful teachers’ unions in the country. As odd as it may seem in a dark red state, over the years long-time AEA executive director Paul Hubbert, oftentimes described as the “shadow governor” of Alabama, has earned his union the distinction of being one of the most politically involved organizations of its type in the country.

Hubbert and the AEA won one of their first major battles in 1971, when they were able to keep then-Democratic Gov. George Wallace from directing funds meant for education and diverting them to the state retirement system. Since that victory, Hubbert has been able to wield his power and influence in ways that are almost unfathomable to an outsider.

Under Hubbert, the teachers’ union head has employed such tactics as installing his own un-elected assistant in state legislature budget committee hearings to be called upon by the committee chairman and essentially re-writing the state’s budget with little or no regard for what the governor had submitted to the state legislature.

The girlfriend, known as Witness 8 in court proceedings, is considered to be a key witness in the case because she alleges she was on the phone with Martin before he was killed.

In a recorded interview with the attorney for Martin's parents last March, the girl claimed Martin said during that conversation that someone was following him. She said she heard a brief exchange between him and someone before the phone was cut off. Martin was shot shortly afterwards.

The girl had previously said in a sworn statement that she was unable to attend Martin's funeral because she had been hospitalized, but it was revealed in court Tuesday she had "lied" about the visit.

There’s been a lot of gun news this week. Votes in the full Senate. Votes in the Senate Judiciary
Committee. The gun battle has finally begun.

But first, we start with an incredible victory.

Halligan goes down to defeat

On
Wednesday, Senate Republicans successfully filibustered the nomination
of Caitlin Halligan for a seat on the DC Court of Appeals. By a vote of
51-41, all of the Republicans hung tight — except for Senator Lisa
Murkowski who voted for the anti-gun, liberal Halligan. (Alaska, she
needs to hear from you!)

There
was a barrage of grassroots’ opposition against Halligan, and people in
the media took notice of your action following the vote on Wednesday:

* Watchdog.org reported that, "Gun
Owners of America led the attack" against Halligan.

* Politico said that “Gun Owners of America [called] Halligan
‘one of the most anti-gun judicial nominees in recent memory.’”

* And Roll Call reported that, “Senate GOP leaders circulated an email highlighting the view of the GOA and other critics.”

And
thank you for your hard work and exercising your citizenship duties by
communicating with your Senators. It has paid off once again. Well
done!

Defeat of Veterans Gun Ban now within
reach

The
Senate Judiciary Committee took up the subject of gun control on
Thursday and passed S. 54, the Veterans Gun Ban, a bill which now moves
to the Senate floor.

Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) spoke for all gun owners when he vigorously opposed the bill in committee, explaining that:

This
bill would make it a serious felony [up to 15 years in prison] for an
American Legion employee to negligently transfer a raffled firearm to a
veteran who unknown to the transferor suffers from PTSD. — Senator John
Cornyn (R-TX)

The
committee adjourned without finishing
its business, and it will reconvene later to take up several more gun
bills. But the good news in all of this is that the Republican
opposition was virtually united, thus making a
filibuster on the Senate floor very achievable.

Although
this legislative pile of bunk is wrapped up in a pretty package labeled
“gun trafficking” (which is already illegal), the bill would (at its
core) send you to prison for 15 years if you:

- Negligently sold two or more guns;

- Negligently gave a gun as a gift;

- Negligently raffled a gun.

What
do we mean by “negligence”? Well, 150,000 law-abiding veterans are
currently barred from owning firearms, without any due process of law.
And any person who smokes
marijuana — including medical marijuana — is prohibited from owning a
firearm under 18 U.S.C. 922(g)(3).

So, if you sell a gun to
any of these people, without realizing that they are subject to a gun ban, you can go to prison for 15 years.

Anti-gun Chairman Patrick Leahy did everything he could to cut off debate on S. 54 — showing clear irritation at any senator who dared to raise questions with respect to its provisions.

This week the North
Carolina House of Representatives announced their plans for introducing a
bill requiring voters to show a valid photo ID before casting a ballot
to vote. House leaders expect to file a bill
later this month after holding a public hearing and committee meetings
to ensure the process is transparent and the bill is fair.

I support the House’s
efforts and commend them for taking up this important issue again in a
way that will allow citizens to bring their thoughts to the table. As
you probably recall, the legislature passed a
photo ID bill during the last biennium to ensure our state’s elections
are fair and honest. But unfortunately, our former governor vetoed it to
energize the far-left wing of her base.

Studies show photo ID
requirements boost voter confidence and increase participation at the
polls. The majority of North Carolina citizens support this common-sense
measure, and legislative Republicans are determined
to protect the integrity of our state’s elections.

An Oklahoma woman arrested Monday on drug charges had a loaded handgun hidden in her [panini], according to police.

The
weapon was discovered during a search of Christie Dawn Harris, 28, by a
female officer with the Ada Police Department. According to a police
report, the cop spotted the handle of the five-shot revolver "sticking
out from" inside Harris, who is seen at right.

In a less shocking find, investigators also discovered plastic baggies
containing methamphetamine lodged in the crack of Harris’s buttocks.

The Freedom Arms .22-caliber handgun was loaded with three live rounds
and one spent shell, cops reported. As to where the weapon was
recovered, the police report noted, “gun located in suspect's [clam
cracker].”

At around 3:45 AM Monday, cops spotted Harris and another woman,
Jennifer Delancy, inside a vehicle parked outside a closed restaurant.
The women were in the front of the vehicle and “both seats were laid all
the way back.” Asked by a cop if the car contained weapons or drugs,
Harris, who was behind the wheel, answered that “she did not think there
was anything.”

Remembrance

To die for one’s country is not only an act of bravery, it is THE act of bravery. For soldiers, it is just an extension of their military career, a part of their duty. As leaders have asked their soldiers to sacrifice themselves for the good of the society, it is only right for leaders to go through the same motion. They should practice what they have preached.

As war is seen as a noble act, tu sat serves as redemption in case of defeat. It is also a way to tell the enemy: “You might have won the battle/war but you don’t deserve to win because you don’t have the chinh nghia (just cause).” And it is not only just cause: it is the moral belief that the cause they are fighting for deserves their total sacrifice. Continues below

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Core Creek Militia

==============================My sixth great grandfather, his wife, and five of his six children were killed in battle with the Tuscarora Indians at Core Creek, NC.

The Seven Blackbirds

==============================My third great grandfather was an Ensign in the Revolutionary War, and saved his unit's flag after being wounded at the Battle of Brandywine. He was also at Kingston (Kinston), Wilmington, Charleston, Two Sisters and Augusta. He was at the defeat at Brier Creek and also Bee Creek.

Requiem Aeternam -
Eternal Rest Grant unto Them
==============================
My second great grandfather was killed in action on May 3, 1863 at the Battle of Chancellorsville.
=============================
My great grandfather and great uncle knew all the men in the "Civil War Requiem" video as they were part of the 53rd NC which was the sole unit defending Fort Mahone. (Fort Mahone was named "Fort Damnation" by the Yankees) *Handpicked men of the 53rd (My great grandfather was one of these) made the final, night assault at Petersburg in an attempt to break Grant's line. This was against Fort Stedman which was a few miles to the slight northeast. They initially succeeded, but reinforcements drove them back. This video is made from photographs which were taken the day after the 53rd evacuated the lines the night before to begin the retreat to Appomattox. I have many more pictures taken by the same photographer, one of these shows a 14 year old boy and the other is the famous picture of the blond, handsome soldier with his musket.
===========================
*General Gordon promised the men a gold medal and 30 days leave if they accomplished their task and many years after the War my great grandfather wrote General Gordon, who was then governor of Georgia about this incident. They exchanged several letters which I have framed. See first link below.
===========================
*The Attack On Fort Stedman
============================
"His Colored Friends"
============================
Lee's Surrender
=============================
My Black NC Kinfolks
============================
Punished For Being Caught!

Great Grandfather Koonce

He was a drummer boy in the WBTS, survived the War only to die a few years later. He was caught in an ice storm on his way home, but instead of seeking shelter, continued on his horse until the end. His clothes had to be cut off and he died a few days later.